I have an amazing plumber!

The husband has basically redone all the plumbing in the Airstream and although parts have apparently been frustrating, it is all finally done. I cannot even begin to explain what all he did, so I will probably have him edit this post to explain.

However, I can share a story...

As he was putting the finishing touches on sweating up all the copper and gluing the PVC, he asked me to turn on the outside water and pressurize the system to test everything he'd been working on for the past few hours.

Him: OK, turn on the water at the house, then slowly open the valve.
Me: (holding my breath as I hear water rushing into the trailer)
Him: OK, come in the trailer.
Me: (walking in)
Him: What do you hear?
Me: Ummm... you not yelling for me to turn off the water?
Him: You got it! :-)

Everything worked! No leaks!

The Airstream is now at the shop for stainless installation. I'm hoping that part goes smoothly.

now I lay me down to sleep...

I am thrilled to report that the bed platform is done! I have a place to sleep! And the dogs have a place to sleep! Woohoo!

OK, the inside of the crates are sanded and primed so there is no bare wood exposed. The crate pans fit nicely and now all I need is bedding. Remember, the top of the platform lifts for easy access to the crates for cleaning or retrieving items from the back of the crate. For the record, I'm guessing item retrieval will happen most often in Jack's crate. The top overhangs about three inches to make lifting easy for now, but the husband has plans for some sort of hydraulic lift system. Stay tuned for details on that. In the meantime, I'll post a picture of the top lifted when I have assistance.

The pictures still have blue painters tape on the crate doors because we are planning to stain the front, but have yet to choose or buy any stain. It's on the to-do list. Also on that list is to prime the top of the platform to protect the mattress. That should happen before I leave in two weeks.

The back and right side of the platform has storage compartments with tops that can be lifted for access. These storage areas also have access doors on the outside.

We have a queen size memory foam mattress for the top. I cannot wait to nap!

cabinets are done!

We got the Airstream back yesterday and the cabinets look awesome! I can't wait to get them painted. The rounded cabinet turned out exactly as I wanted. The pictures show the kitchen sink and bathroom sink just sitting up there as we are cutting the openings later today.

We also need to go pick out cabinet hardware. That can happen when the counter tops are being installed.

just a hint...

This a a hint of what is to come. In this photo I'm holding the template for the galley counter top and the front frame for the upper cabinets. ;-)

painting and plumbing

Since the cabinets are taking a little longer than estimated (hey, they are custom!), we decided to drive up and work on the AS while the cabinets work is in progress.

We started the day by filling holes and finishing up a little bit of priming, then moved on to taping everything and prepping to paint. The color chosen for the entire trailer is called "Shea Butter", and it looks just like that... a pale hint of creamy color. (Note: the second photo shows the bare wood of the new wall. We will be painting all the cabinetry in a few days.)

We decided the paint the upper cabinets in the front even though they will not be staying. We have plans for redoing all that area, but cannot do it before the trip in June. In fact, there will be several things that won't be finished, but there will be time later in the summer to get those done. It is a work in progress!

The second part of the day was spend working on plumbing. The husband has replaced copper and PVC and stubbed out everything in preparation for the new fixtures.

We've had the cool round kitchen sink for a while, but now we also have the kitchen faucet, bathroom sink, bathroom faucet and shower fixtures. It's amazing how you can get things from different places and they still match. That said, it wasn't easy. I finally found an affordable round bathroom sink just a few days ago. And even though the bathroom faucet and shower fixtures came from two different places, they look great together.

After this weekend, I feel much better about having the AS finished before I have to leave town. :-)